Hourihane: Now we’re ready to rock
THE days of a dull, dour dressing room at Villa are over – it’s now an all-singing, all-dancing, happy environment.
Back-to-back wins have eased fears of relegation after the club pulled together to finally kick 2017 into life.
Villa edged out Derby on Saturday and beat Bristol City 2-0 on Tuesday night and Conor Hourihane, who scored his first goal for Villa since joining from Barnsley in January against Bristol, revealed how the mood has changed dramatically.
“It’s miles different to a few weeks ago in the dressing room,” said Hourihane. “The tunes are blasting and everyone is dancing and having a great time.
“It’s amazing how things can change in football.”
Hourihane admitted relegation concerns were starting to kick in as Villa battled through a six-game losing streak and a run of nine games without a win.
But that’s now all in the past and the midfielder is confident his side have turned the corner. They will look to maintain the momentum on Saturday when they head to bottom-of-the-table Rotherham.
“Two games ago we were all looking behind us and were a bit worried,” said Hourihane. “But we’ve rallied together.
“We’ve got some good players and they got a good win on Saturday, and on Tuesday we did it with my help. I came on and made an impact.
“The gaffer signed a few players in January and it’s taken a bit of time but I feel like we are gelling now. It shows with back-to-back wins. It really moves us up the table.”
Hourihane bagged his first goal in claret and blue in front of the Holte End and admitted: “That’s off my back now and, to be honest, it’s a bit of a relief. I’m hoping there’s more to come.”